Sunny & Dry Today, Slightly Cooler

A beautiful May-like day was followed by another round of heavy rain and thunderstorms last night. Most spots ended up between one-half to three-quarters of an inch in a relatively short amount of time. This now puts us at 17.16" on the year which leaves us well above the average mark of 11.31". Only one year in the past 6 years has accumulated more rain that 2019, and that was in 2017 falling just short of 18".

The cold front that brought all that heavy rain last night pushed through the viewing area this morning. Clouds were quick to clear this morning as dry conditions moved in behind the cold front. Temperatures today will be slightly cooler, with most spots across the Stateline topping out in the mid to upper 70s. We will be seeing sunshine and blue skies throughout the rest of our Thursday. It will be a bit breezy as we head into the afternoon. But otherwise, today is definitely a beautiful day to go and do some outdoor activities. Just make sure you bring the sunscreen.

Now that cold front that passed through this morning will play a key role in the potential for severe weather tomorrow. This frontal boundary will stall out over southern Illinois and then begin to lift back north as a warm front tomorrow afternoon. This will help spark up a few strong to severe thunderstorms as we head into Friday evening.

The Storm Prediction Center in Norman Oklahoma does have our viewing area under a slight risk (category 2 of 5) for severe weather. Thunderstorms tomorrow will have the capability to produce damaging wind gusts, large hail, and also a tornado or two cannot be ruled out. Temperatures tomorrow will be around the same as today, in the mid to upper 70s. With a similar system coming in for our Saturday, the active pattern looks to continue in the beginning of next week. Enjoy the Sunshine today everyone!